Plate heat exchanger



April 28, 1936. H. FIELDMEIER 2,039,216

VAN 9y W zzj //j April 28, 1936,.

H. FELDMEIER PLATE HEAT EXCHANGER Filed Aug. 16, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 V Jim/WK I Patented Apr. 28, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE} Cherry-Harrell Corporation, Wllmln a corporation of Delaware Application August 16, 1935, Serial No. 36,529

-9 Claims. (Cl. 257-245) the different arrangements of the sealing gaskets This invention relates to that type of plate heat exchangers for fluids in which a plurality of relatively thin heat conducting or transfer plates are assembled (usually separably) in spaced face to face relation in such a. manner as to provide a multiplicity of shallow fluid flow spaces or chambers which are separated from one another by plates and are interconnected by circulating passages or connections in such a way that fluids or fluid streams of different temperatures can be circulated through fiow spaces on opposite sides of and in contact with each heat transfer plate for the exchange of temperature from one fluid or stream to the other. By various different groupings or combinations of the plates, heat exchangers adapted'for various differing purposes or uses may be provided.

One object of my invention is to produce a desirable and efficient plate heat exchanger for fluids which is of simplified construction and much less expensive to buildthan previous apparatus of commensurate capacity and efiiciency.

Other objects of the invention are to produce a plate heat exchanger in which each heat transfer plate is made with a groove in one face thereof to receive a sealing gasket and on the reverse face thereof. witha projecting rib or ridge for contact with the sealing gasket of the adjacent plate to form. the sealed flow spaces between the plates; in which the heat transfer plates are of substantially uniform thickness throughout; in which the plates having the gasket-receiving grooves and spacing ribs or ridges can be made by embossing, stamping or pressing from sheet metal of uniform thickness;

in which each of the heat transfer plates is an all-stamped or embossed, single piece sheet metal plate without any welded-on or separate spacing rim or frame; in which the several heat transfer plates are all alike except as regards the location of the fluid passages or holes therethrough and can be fabricated from a single set of dies; and also to provide a plate heat exchanger having the other features of improvement and advantage hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a side elevation, on a reduced scale, of 50 a. plate heat exchanger embodying the invention and illustrating a plate assembly adapted for heating or cooling a liquid which flows countercurrent to the temperature changing medium.

Figs. 2 and 3 are front face elevations of two 65 heat transfer plates, and respectively showing of two adjacent plates of the assembly.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary reverse side elevation of one of the heat transfer plates.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, longitudinal section through two adjacent plates on line 5-5, Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, transverse section of one heat transfer plate on line 66, Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic, perspective view of four heat transfer plates showing one assembly- 'groupingthereof. and indicating the courses of the different liquid streams through the apparatus with this grouping of the plates.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged longitudinal, vertical section through one end of the apparatus showing the relation of the heat transfer plates and two adjacent terminal or in and out frames by means of which the streams of liquid enter or leave the plate assembly.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary, longitudinal, horizontal section through a group of heat transfer plates on line .99, Fig. 1.

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal, vertical section showing a portion of the plate assembly of Fig. 8 further enlarged.

Each of the heat transfer plates A, which, as stated, are assembled in face to face spaced relation in the apparatus, is provided in one face thereof with receiving and retaining grooves for sealing gaskets and is provided on the reverse face of the plate with projecting ridges or ribs I l which are disposed opposite to and correspond in plan form with the gasket-receiving grooves, so

that the ridges of one plate are adapted to bear against the sealing gaskets of the next adjacent plate to thereby space the plates apart and form endless sealed joints between them. As shown, the gasket-receiving grooves comprise connecting, symmetrically arranged portions which form an endless marginal groove having side portions l2 and end portions l3 which surrounds or bounds an area of the plate including passages or holes l8 and I9 through corner portions of the plate, and diagonal groove portions l5 which cut across the corners of the plate and join the side and end portions of the marginal groove so that the diagonal groove portions 15 and connected side and end portions l2 and |3'of the marginal groove form an endless groove which bounds an area of the plate excluding'the corner portions thereof in certain of which the holes l8 and I9 are located. The plate is also formed with circular or annular grooves IS in the corners thereof to receive the gaskets which surround the holes I8 and I9. The annular grooves It Join or merge into the corner portions of the endless marginal groove.

By this arrangement of the grooves, an endless gasket I1 is adapted to be placed in the grooves I2, I 3 and IS in the different positions shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so as in each case to bound an area or space which includes the hole l8 through one corner of the plate and excludes the second hole I! through another comer of the plate. The excluded hole I9 is surrounded by a separate annular gasket 20 placed in the annular groove [6 which surrounds that hole I 9.

When the plates are assembled as illustrated in the drawings, the holes I8 and 19 are located difierently in adjacent plates in the assembly and the plates are positioned differently in groups, as shown by Fig. 7, which illustrates one group of the assembly, but by the described arrangement of the gasket-receiving grooves, which is the same on all of the plates, gaskets of one and the same form can be arranged differently in the grooves of different plates as may be necessary to secure the proper connections of the flow spaces between the plates with the passages l8 and i9 for the required separation and circulation of the difierent fluid streams. For instance, the gasket I! on the plate shown in Fig. 3 is just like that on the plate shown in Fig. 2, but is inverted with respect to its position in Fig. 2. Thus, whereas the gasket I! in Fig. 2 bounds an area which includes the passage 18 through the lower right hand corner of the plate and excludes the passage l9 through the upper right hand corner of the plate, the gasket H in Fig. 3 excludes the passage I9 through the lower right hand corner of the plate and includes the passage l8 through the lower left hand corner of the plate, and'an annular gasket 20 surrounds the excluded passage !9 through the upper right hand corner of the plate in Fig. 2, and a like annular gasket 20 surrounds the excluded passage l9 through the lower right hand corner of the plate in Fig. 3. In other words, the gasket l1 shown is of a shape such as to bound an area including two diagonally opposite corner portions and excluding the other two diagonally opposite corner portions of each plate, and is adapted to be difierently placed on different plates. The gaskets and grooves are preferably of the cross sectional form shown in Fig. 6.

The gasket-receiving grooves and the opposite ridges or ribs of all of the heat transfer plates are alike and the several plates are otherwise the same except as to the location of the fluid passages or holes l8 and I9 which, in a portion of the plates are located at one end of the plate and in the remaining plates at one side of the plate. However, since the gasket-receiving grooves are symmetrically arranged and the holes 18 and I9 bear like relations to the grooves irrespective of which corners the holes occupy, the plates, except for the punching or cutting out of the holes l8 and I9, can be made alike. The plates having the described formation can be, as shown, of uniform thickness throughout and, therefore, are adapted to be formed by embossing, pressing or stamping from sheet metal and only a single set of dies is necessary for all of the plates.

When the plates are assembled in the apparatus, with the grooved faces of all the plates facing the same way, the gaskets I1 and 20 on each plate will be located opposite to and bear against the opposing similarly formed portions of the ridges or ribs of the next adjacent plate, and when the several plates are clamped or Dressed firmly together, the endless gaskets I! will provide a sealed fluid flow space between each two plates and each gasket .20 will provide a sealed passage extending through two adjacent plates outside of the sealed flow space formed by the gasket 11 between such two plates.

Fig. 7 illustrates a grouping of the plates whereby one stream of fluid can be caused to flow in series through alternate flow spaces and a difierent stream of fluid flow counter-cin'rent in series through the remaining flow spaces, so that the different fluid streams will contact with opposite sides of each heat transfer plate for exchange of heat between the fluid in one flow space and that in the other flow space on the opposite side of the same plate. In said Fig. '7, the plates are numbered respectively 2, I, l, 3, in the order shown. The alternate plates l and 8 have the same disposition of the passages i8 and I9 and of the gaskets I? and 20 but the plates are reversed end for end so that the passages in the plate 1 are located at the upper corners at opposite ends of the plate while the passages of the plate 3 are at the lower corners of the opposite ends. Similarly, the remaining alternate plates 2 and 4 have like dispositions of passages and gaskets with both holes I8 and I9 at one end of each plate, but the plates are reversed end for end. Thus, when the plates are secured together, one stream of liquid, indicated by the solid line 0, can enter through the passage E8 of plate 3, circulate through the flow space between this plate and the next plate 4, thence through the registering sealed passages l9 and is of plates 0 and i, thence through the flow space between plates I and 2 and out through the passage E9 of plate 2, while the other stream of liquid indicated by the broken arrow line it can enter through the sealed registering passages i8 and ill of plates 2 and i, circulate through the flow space between plates 5 and d and discharge through the registering sealed passages i3 and IQ of plates 5 and 3. Each stream of liquid thus flows in series through alternate flow spaces and each heat transfer plate is between and contacts with different fluid streams on opposite sides thereof. In order to avoid confusion in Fig. 7, the gaskets are represented by single lines.

Instead of making all of the plates alike with grooves arranged to enable the gaskets to be placed in inverted positions on different plates to give right and left plates, the plates could be made or stamped as rights and lefts and still retain the advantages of the gasket grooves and ridges on opposite sides of the plates.

Preferably, each gasket IT is provided with lateral spurs 2! at the portions of the gasket located at the junctions of the grooves to with the marginal grooves l2 and I3, which spurs project from the portion of the gasket occupying one groove into the connecting groove. These spurs prevent possible leakage of the fluid past the gaskets at these junction points, and also operate to lock or hold the gaskets in place and prevent them from shifting or twisting in the grooves. Each gasket i1 is provided with similar spurs 22 at the junctions of the marginal grooves I2 and IS with annular corner grooves is of the plate. The annular gaskets 20 are preferably provided with similar lateral spurs 23 which project tangentially from the gasket somewhat into the connecting marginal grooves l2 and I3 for like purposes.

In order to positively maintain a desired minimum spacing between the heat transfer plates and not have the spacing entirely subject to the amount of compression of the resilient sealing gaskets between the plates, .positive steps are provided to limit the movement of the plates-towards each other by the pressure means employed for securing fluid-tight joints between the sealing gaskets and plates. As shown in the drawings, such stops are formed by rim flanges 24 at the sides and ends of each plate bent in so as to bear against the adjacent plate.

The gaskets I'I disclosed leave two of the diagonal grooves i5 of each plate unoccupied by the gasket, and in order to prevent possible deflection or deformation of these portions of the plate by the pressure thereon, said portions, if necessary, may be stiffened, as by means of small bridges or cross fillets 24a welded or brazed in the diagonal grooves, as shown in Figs. 2 to 4 and 10. These bridges can be provided on the plates after the latter are embossed or stamped, thereby enabling all of the plates to be produced by the same set of dies.

The heat transfer plates shown are formed with transverse parallel corrugations 25 across the middle areas of the plates bounded by the grooves i2, i3 and i5, and when the plates are assembled in the apparatus, the corrugations of one plate register with those of the next adjacent plate so that the liquid passing through the flow space between each two plates will be caused to follow a zigzag or serpentine course. This formation gives the plates greater surface contact areas and causes a more positive and intimate contact of'the liquid with the surfaces of the opposite walls of the flow space, and thereby insures increased efllciency of heat transfer between the separate streams of liquid. These corrugations can be readily formed by embossing, stamping or pressing the plates and can be produced by the same set of dies that forms the gasket-receiving grooves and opposing ridges of the plates.

Preferably, also the heat transfer plates are made of the rectangular form shown so that the shallow flow spaces between the plates will be elongated in the direction of flow of the fluid through the spaces. It will be understood, however, that the invention is not restricted to plates of elongated or rectangular form or to the corrugating of the plates.

The heat transfer plates can be mounted and secured together in the face to face assembly explained in any suitable way and any suitable circulating connections provided for delivering the different fluid streams into and discharging them from the plate assembly. For instance, as illustrated, the several heat transfer plates are provided at their opposite ends with upper and lower lugs 25 adapted to slidably engage the horizontal supporting and guide rods 21 of a stationary supporting frame having upright end standards 23 and 29 to which said guide rods are secured at their opposite ends. The heat transfer plates are adapted to move toward and from each other on said guide rods 21 between one end standard 28 and a movable pressure head 38 which is slidably supported, as by lugs 3|, on said guide rods 21, and is adapted to be moved toward and from the assembly of heat transfer plates for clamping them together and releasing them by means of one or more screws 32 swivelled in the movable pressure head and arranged to turn in threaded holes or nuts in the standard 29. Two terminal or fluid inlet and outlet frames 33 and 34 are shown arranged between the stationary standard 28 and the adjacent end of the heat transfer plate assembly, and two terminal or fluid inlet and outlet frames 35 and 36 arranged between the opposite end of the plate assembly and the movable pressure head 30. One fluid stream is adapted to enter through one terminal frame 33 at one end of the apparatus and discharge through one terminal frame 35 at the opposite end of the apparatus, and the other stream is adapted to enter through one terminal frame 36, flow counter-current to the first stream and discharges through the terminal frame 34 at the first mentioned end of the apparatus, as indicated by the arrows in Figs. 1 and 8.

It will be understood, it is believed, without further illustration and description, that the heat transfer plates described can be arranged in various different assembly groupings to provide heat exchange apparatus adapted to serve various different purposes.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a heat exchanger for liquids, a plurality of sheet metal heat transfer plates arranged face to face, and each having a corrugation forming in one face of the plate an endless marginal groove and on the reverse face of the plate a corresponding ridge, and an endless sealing gasket in the groove of each plate, the gasket of each plate bearing against the ridge of an adjacent plate and forming a sealed liquid space between the adjacent plates.

2. In a heat exchanger for liquids, a plurality of heat transfer plates arranged face to face and each having in one face grooves receiving sealing gaskets and on'the reverse face corresponding ridges which bear against the gaskets of an adjacent plate and form sealed spaces between the adjacent plates, one gasket of each plate surrounding a passage through the plate.

3. In a heat exchanger for liquids, a plurality of sheet metal heat transfer plates arranged face to face, and each having corrugations forming in one face of the plate a groove receiving an endless marginal sealing gasket and a groove receiving a gasket surrounding a passage through the plate, and on the reverse face of the plate corresponding ridges which bear against the gaskets of an adjacent plate and form sealed spaces between the adjacent plates.

4. In a heat exchanger for liquids, a plurality of heat transfer plates arranged face to face, and each having in one face a marginal gasketreceiving groove for a sealing gasket, and two passages throughthe plate, and an endless sealing gasket in the groove of each plate and bearing against an adjacent plate for sealing the space between said plates bounded by the gasket, the several gaskets being alike and each having different but symmetrically disposed opposite end portions, andthe several plates being alike except as 'to the location of said passages in adjacent plates, and one passage of each plate being located within and one without the area bounded by the gasket for said plate.

5. In a heat exchanger for liquids, a plurality of heat transfer plates arranged face to face, and each having in one face of the plate receiving grooves for a sealing gasket, and passages through the plate, said grooves having symmetrical opposite portions bounding an area including said passages and symmetrical opposite portions bounding an area excluding said passages, and an endless sealing gasket between each two adjacent plates, said gaskets being alike but the gaskets for the adjacent plates being inverted i 5 and each having in one face of the plate connecting grooves for receiving a sealing gasket, and passages through the plate, said grooves forming an endless marginal groove bounding an area including'said passages and endless grooves 10 bounding areas excluding one or another of said passages, and endless sealing gaskets each occupying one endless groove of each plate, said gaskets being alike but the gaskets for adiacent plates being differently arranged and bounding 15 areas including differently located passages of said adjacent plates.

7. In a heat exchanger for liquids, a heat -transfer plate having in one face thereof an endless groove and connecting grooves branching 20 therefrom, and a gasket occupying said endless groove and, having lateral spurs projecting into said branching grooves.

8. In a heat exchanger for liquids, a plurality of sheet metal heat transfer plates arranged face to face, and each having a corrugation forming in one face of the plate a groove receiving a sealing gasket and on the reverse face of the plate a corresponding ridge which bears against the corresponding gasket of an adjacent plate and forms a sealed liquid space between the adjacent plates, and each plate having a stop adapted to engage the adjacent plate to limit the compression of the sealing gasket between said plates.

9.-In a heat exchanger for liquids, a plurality of sheet metal heat transfer plates arranged face to face, and each havinga corrugation forming in one face of the plate a groove receiving a sealing gasket and on the reverse face of the plate a corresponding ridge which bears against the corresponding gasket of an adjacent plate and forms a sealed liquid space between the adjacent plates, a portion of the gasket groove of one plate being unoccupied by a gasket, and a bridge crossing said unoccupied portion of the groove for stiffening the adjacent portion of the plate to withstand the pressure thereon.

HARVEY F'EIDIIIEIER. 

